Means for operating switches in electric tramways.



"6' 648,636. Patented, May I, won.

. A. 6. SHARROW. I MEANS FOR OPERATING SWITCHES IN ELECTRIUTRAMWAYS.

(Application filed Oct. 26, 1899.)

(N o M 041 e l T .6 V wi hlceses M/L. M @QMW operated by the motorman.

NITED STATES rion.-

PATEN ANDREWV GUYEN SHARROW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF TlVO-THIRDS TO SAMUEL BAUM AND ADAM BAUM, J R., 015 SAME PLACE.

I MEANS FOR OPERATING SWITCHES I N ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 0. 648,636, dated May 1, 1900.

I Application filed October 26, 1899. Serial No. 734,824- (No model.) I

sylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Operating Switches in Electric Tramways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to devices for automatically operating the switches of electric tramways; and it consists of'featnres f ully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, forming part thereof. v

The object of myinvention is to relieve the motorm'an of the necessity of stopping his car at points along the line where switches are placed.

It consists of a switch-operating series of levers preferably arranged below the line of the rails and adapted to be operated by the motorman through suitable hand-controlled connections carried by the car and normally out of the path of the switch-operating levers.

In the drawings like parts are referred to by'letters and figures of a corresponding kind in the differen views.

Figure l is a ide elevation of my invention applied to the bottom of a car. Fig. 2 is a general plan of theroad-bed portion of the invention, having, however, the road bed plate broken away in part. Fig. 3 is a one half end view; Fig. 4, a section on line x a: of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan of the two handles A is the bottom of the car.

B is the forward dashboard. V

D is a vertical rod carrying a handle F at its upper end and held by housings C O to the dashboardB. There are two of these rods and handles, as shown in Fig. 5. F is a crank-arm carrying a link G. There are two of these arms and links also, likewise as shown in Fig. 5.

I and I is a bell-crank lever, of which there are also two. The arm I of this lever is fixed tothe link G. m is a supporting-rod for this lever and permitting of lever oscillation. O is a support for this rod holding same to the bottom of the car A. The e are a series --as shown in Fig. 2.

of these supports 0, as will be evident. The forward part of the aforementioned bell-crank lever carries an integral head 2, which head is adapted to contact with portions of the switch mechanism to be described.

R R are the rails or tracks.-

. P is a plate covering the switch mechanismt aretwo holes inthelink t, which permit of variable angular positions between the link if and the lever 11, as'is self-evident. The lever '12 is held to any convenient ground plate (not shown) by the pivot 11.

' V is a long-link connection fixed to the lever '0 at one end by the pin 2) and at its other extremity carrying two actuating-links WandW ,i1nited by a common pin IV f B is a lever pivoted toa fixed plate (not shown) at n and held to the link W by the pivot 19.

The dotted lines 2' and 2" represent the path of the head 2 of the bell-crank arm J. It is hardly necessary to note that there are two bell-crank arms in practice-one to form the contact to open the switch and the other to form the contact to close the switch, as will be described. l

In Fig. 2 it will be seen that the lever B is pivoted diiferently from the lever B-that is,

in the former the bell-crank co 'ntact end of the lever is on the one side of the pivot 1d other side thereof, and in lever 13 hot. the

bell-crank contact end and the link-connect- I and the switch-actuating link W is on the Q ing pin 10 are on the same side of the pivotal pin 17.. This arrang'ementpermits of the rod W being rectilinearly reciprocated by force in one direction.

We will now assume that the switch is open, The motor-man when he desires to switch the car willoperate the bandle E and ,drop the bell-crank arm J until the head 2 thereof enters the slot- S of the plate P. The car thereafter on moving forward will cause;. t h'e head .3 of the arm .T to contact IOO with thelever l3 and oscillate this lever on the pivot n until the position shown in the dot-ted lines A is obtained, after which, it being past the-point of contact '13, the motorman will raise the iever J and the car will pass on. Meanwhile the lever v will have been oscillated from the position shown 'in the solid drawing, Fig. 2, to that indicated by the dotted lined and the switch will have been moved from the position shown in the solid drawing, same figure, to that indicated by the dotted line 15"; also, by virtue of the pivotal position of the pivot n of the lever B the said lever will-have been oscillated from the position shown in the solid drawing to that indicated by the dotted line A On the operation of this latter lever the switch will be again opened.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as newfand desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination in a switch-actuating mechanism of a switch mounted in the line of a car-wheel, two actuating-levers therefor placed'on theroad-bed within the lateral limit o't' the rails; said levers connected by independent links and said links united bya common. pivot to a common link, a mechanical connection between the switches and the said levers, said mechanical connection actuated by said common link and means carried by the car and controlled from the car for aetnatingsaid levers and therethrough the switch, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination .in' a switch-actuating mechanism of a switch placed in the line of the-car-whcels, a lever for operating or opening, it, a lever for closing said switch, a common pivotal support for said two levers, a supplemental intermediate actuating-lever for said switch, a link connection between the two former levers and the said supplemental 1ever, said links carrying the said common pivotal support, and a link between the said supplemental lever and the switch, as and for the purpose set forth. r

3. The combination in a switch-actuating mechanism of a switch placed in the line of the car-wheels;-a lever for operating or opening said switch,'-a lever for closing said switch, acommon pivoted support for said two levers, a supplemental intermediate actuating-lever for said" switch, a link connection between the two former levers and the said supplemental lever, said link connection carrying the said common support, and a link between the said supplemental lever and the switch,

as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed by me at Philadelphia, Pen nsylvania, this 12th day of October, 1898.

A. GUYEN SIIARROW.

Witnesses:

HOMER A. IIERR, FRANK M. WIRGMAN. 

